Alex Trebek's Powerful Reminder to Us All

Alex Trebek, the iconic “Jeopardy!” host of 37 years who was equal parts brainy and charismatic, died Sunday after a lengthy bout with pancreatic cancer. He was 80.

Tributes flooded social media as fans of the show shared some of their fondest memories from over the years. But we as leaders would be wise to keep one in particular in mind.

It featured contestant Burt Thakur, who won more than $20K during a recent appearance.

“I learned English because of you,” Thakur told Trebek after the show. “My grandfather, who raised me, I’m going to get tears in my eyes, I used to sit on his lap and watch you every day. So, this is a pretty special moment for me, man.”

We’re paid as leaders to focus on our teams and achieve our missions. But we often forget that our actions aren’t just visible to the fans watching our games, to the prospective clients across the table, to the students in our classrooms. There’s another swath of people, many of whom we’ve never met and may never will, whose days are impacted by the decisions we make. Just because we can’t see them directly, doesn’t mean we’re not touching them.

A sick fan whose highlight of the week is watching your team play. A tormented student you don’t even teach whose day is made brighter by the smile you give him/her in the hallway.

We impact all of them, whether we’re cognizant of it or not.

Trebek certainly was aware he was popular and knew he’d provided entertainment for millions of Americans over the better part of three decades. But a story like Thakur’s personifies this.

We truly never know who’s watching and who’s depending on us to improve life today.

We can poorly strategize and be moody, ultimately taking our responsibilities for granted. Or we can be meticulous in our preparation, uplifting with our words, radiant with our facial expressions — drawing back on this “Jeopardy!” clip as a reminder of our “why.”

Trebek did this time and time again. Beyond his knowledge, his wit and his precision, his ability to treat each day as if it were his first was his greatest gift of all.

May Alex Trebek rest in peace.

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